I'm in the process of re-creating my blog over at onsugar.com. Check it out: moderateepicurean.onsugar.com and make note of the new address! You'll be glad to know that I've finally created a recipe index - no more long list of recipes requiring you to search my blog. Woo hoo! It's a long process to index and copy my recipes over, so bear with me. In the interim, I'm keeping this version - with all my recipes - up and running.

Ah, good morning. I'm up and at 'em, perhaps a bit on the late side, but in surprisingly good form considering the wickedly not (!) moderate 16 wines I tasted last night. Santé! Yes, as Debbie and Stuart Williams' guest at the November meeting of the Commanderie de Bordeaux, I was on my best behavior and politely drained my glass(es) and cleaned my plate(s), the least I could do, non? Seriously, it was a lovely night, hosted by Commandeur Bill McGuire and his wife Mme. Nadine McGuire, along with their guest, wine expert Kevin Swersey. The evening's wines were chosen from the 2005 (Bordeaux, natch) vintage, particularly for affordability and accessibility as well as for, of course, drinkability. A quick survey of the group revealed that most had tasted exactly none of the wines - Bill and Kevin's secret goal, mwahaha, and not the usual Commanderie experience. So we were off...

But wait, I should take a step back and introduce my tablemates: Debbie and Stu, of course (pic, below, is actually from Napa, as we enjoyed cassoulet at Bistro Jeanty, but that's another story...), as well as Commandeur Mary K. Stern and her husband Gary Stern, and Commandeur Kirt Woodhouse. A delightfully clever, charming group, they very kindly answered my many (naive) Bordeaux questions and kept the conversation hopping from topic to topic, always returning to - what else? - food and wine, baby, food and wine.

Our group particularly enjoyed the opening food-wine pairing, a classic I personally hadn't experienced before but oh, will I be seeking out again: Peking duck with champagne. Yes, turns out that champagne's signature acidity is the perfect foil for every flavor element of Peking duck - the silky, rich duck breast, the paper-thin, crispy-salty skin, the sweet-tangy Hoisin sauce, and even the mild spring onion garnish. All together, ka-blam, taste explosion. Loved it. (If anyone has a recommendation on where to find good Peking duck in Minneapolis/St. Paul, I'm taking suggestions. I found this Strib rave for Yummy Chinese Restaurant on Nicollet - sounds like the real deal, but the review's a bit dated...)


Below is the entire tasting menu with wine pairings. I'd recommend in particular the second two champagnes - both delicious, unique, and according to Kevin, quite affordable (he purchased all the wine at Surdyk's). Find yourself some Peking duck (or make it - you'll see it's a luxury item for good reason, given the unusual and lengthy preparation, although the recipe doesn't look terribly complicated), pour a glass, and bubbly-bottoms up. Quack that. Oh. Yeah.

Kudos to Chef John Thompson and his staff at The Minneapolis Club for turning out such an ambitious, lovely dinner:

Passed Hors d'Oeuvres
Beef Tartar with Mustard Aioli and Cornichon
Chicken Chili Empanadas
Boneless Lamb "Lollipops" with Dried Apricot Chutney
Clarendelle Blanc 2005 Pessac-Leognan

Dinner
Peking Duck
Chartogne-Taillet Blanc de Blancs N.V. 2005 Champagne
Pierre Gimonnet & Fil 1er Cru Brut N.V. 2005 Champagne
Pierre Peters "cuvee de Reserve" Brut N.V. 2005 Champagne

Slow Poached Monkfish with Brown Butter Sauce, Celeriac Remoulade and Wild Arugula
Chateau Ferriere 2005 Margaux
Chateau La Gurgue 2005 Margaux

Seared Oxtail Ravioli with Fig Balsamic Reduction, topped with Crispy Sage
Chateau Haut-Bergey 2005 Pessac-Leognan
Chateau Tour des Termes 2005 St. Estephe

Roasted Rack of Bobby Veal, Braised Sweetbread Strudel, Chanterelle Ragout
Pomerol Christian Moueix 2005
Chateau L Croix du Casse 2005 Pomerol

Braised Pork Cheek, Truffle Potato and Glazed Grilled Carrots
Chateau Quinault L'Enclos 2005 St. Emilion
Chateau Bellevue 2005 St. Emilion
Chateau Clos de Sarpe 2005 St. Emilion

Dessert
Fromage d'Affinois, Cave-Aged Gruyere, St. Nectaire Cheeses with Fall Fruit Jams
Chateau La Gomerie 2005 St. Emilion
Gracia 2005 St. Emilion
"Mystery Wine" El Desafio de Jonata 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon

My thanks again to my favorite hosts, Debbie and Stu The Wine Genius Williams, as well as to the Commanderie de Bordeaux and the evening's hosts, Bill and Nadine McGuire. Have a great weekend, everyone.

Moderate it: uh, right.

I'm taking a food styling course, attempting to improve the quality and creativity of my food photos, as well as learn a bit more about a field I think would be terrific to work in. Maybe even get paid, ooh, there's a novel concept. I'm only in the second week; our assignment was to put together and style a simple salad. Here's my first try (limited seriously by my lack of photographic knowledge; I was stuck with the light I had, without planning ahead, and let's just say, I have a lot to learn about my camera. I think I need a major Cory Shubert tutorial...).


Anyhow, total BLAST. I made a couple of mistakes, like eating a bit of goat cheese and walnuts off the plate when I thought I was done. But no, after seeing the pics on my computer, I had to go back - and replace the parts I snacked on. I'm pretty sure that's a food styling 101 don't, ha.


Man am I dragging today, even as I composed this salad, d r a g g i n g. I'm seriously sleep-deprived this week and oy am I feeling my old. We had our neighborhood women's association meeting last night (aka wine and chat) and I once again stayed out and up way too late. And no reprieve tonight, oh no - as I mentioned below, tonight I'll be Debbie and Stu William's guest at a Commanderie de Bordeaux event (aka serious wine and chat).

I predict a very, very quiet Saturday.

Moderate it: the only thing going for me is that I know that the portions at the Commanderie dinner will be reasonable. That said, moderate portions of five or so courses adds up to excessive pretty quickly. Washed down with five or so Bordeaux wines and well, I'll have to count it as the special occasion it is and just enjoy myself. Moderate that!

What the? I'm sorry but I am NOT ready for living in total darkness! Not only limited hours of daylight, plus the end of daylight savings, but also a cruel, endless string of dark, cloudy days. Ugh! This is how dragged down I feel in March, not November. I'm toast this winter, completely. When our kids are in college, I am so out of here. Grumble.

Given that I'm firmly stuck here for the next, oh, eight years at least, I'd better reach extra-early for my tried-and-true northern-clime gloom deterrents, not usually seen consistently until the end of December. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures. First, I complain loudly and often. Then I force myself outside. Grumble. Yeah, the one sure thing that "feels me better" (as Nathan used to say) is the last thing I feel like doing - exercising in the great, dim, cold outdoors. Turns out that even watery sunlight is better than no sunlight at all. Hmph.

I also consume a lot of warm liquids. Pots of tea, mugs of hot chocolate (while playing Scrabble with Nathan - that could cheer me from the worst of moods), bowls of brothy soup. Good for my tummy and soul. Tonight's tortilla soup, followed by a hot cuppa joe, did me up pretty well. Oooh, now it's time to go soak in warm liquid - aka a bath - and I should be almost back to normal. Almost. Grumble.

Moderate it: warm liquids are so filling for very few calories. Even hot chocolate can be moderate if you make it yourself with low-fat milk, good quality unsweetened chocolate, and not too much sugar. Enjoy!

Silpada, Silpada - if you're a woman in my family, be on alert, you are most likely getting Silpada jewelry for Christmas. Suz is a Silpada rep, so I've hosted a couple of parties, which have led to other of my friends hosting parties, including my friend Polly last night and Baseball Mom Sonja this coming Friday (although I can't make Friday's party - I'll be attending a Commanderie de Bordeaux dinner with Debbie and Stu the Wine Genius, woo hoo! I've been to two before, both amazing nights, I'll do my best to pay attention to the food and lovely wine and not talk too damn much. Stay tuned...). Polly had a crackling fire, and delicious appetizers, and a yummy iced pumpkin cake - and oh yeah, Susie Silpada Sales with her bling! Good thing the jewelry is so pretty, and easy to wear (casual or dressy), 'cuz I sure do own a lot of it, ha.

Despite snow and freezing rain and all-day darkness - what is this, February? - I pulled together quick chicken gumbo and sauteed okra before Nathan's basketball game tonight, and am ready to whip up tortilla soup tomorrow morning (I'll be busy with my nephew Cooper in the afternoon-into-evening, so have to work ahead a bit). Haven't decided yet what to bake for our neighborhood women's association meeting Thursday night. Cheesy vanilla fudge bars? Hmmm...you know, I might make almond puff pastry. It's a bit brunchy, but it's sooo decadently yummy, who cares? Yeah, I think it'll be almond puff pastry...

Moderate it: almond puff pastry, for sure one of my top ten all-time favorite foods, is definitely the kind of thing I only bake for others - lots of others.

Just in case we forgot, winter is coming. It was easy to be lulled into complacency given 75-degree days earlier this week. And then yesterday...snow. And today...a high of 34 degrees. Alrighty then.

Thursday, when it was still warm outside, I actually spent a good part of the day baking. I'm not really much of a baker, but I contribute a cake or two each year to John's office's United Way fundraiser (they sell off pieces of baked goods and donate the proceeds). This year I kept it pretty simple with cheater's coconut cake (made it last year too) and chocolate bundt cake with killer chocolate sauce. John bought six pieces - by my count, almost half of each cake. Very...John.

Friday, Suz and I braved the snow with a drive to Buffalo to check out a few antique stores. It is a testament to how fond I am of Susie that not only will I shop with her (I really don't like shopping), I actually enjoy shopping with her (I really, really don't like shopping with others). We had a blast, cruising around and even enjoying a totally tasty junk-food lunch at Culver's. Which put us both into a coma. Turns out even better-quality junk food is still, well, junk.

Moderate it: bake it, then give it away! Works like a charm, unless your husband buys half of what you baked and brings it back home. Hmmm...

Hey friends, how's it going? I've actually had a couple of kind inquiries about my health due to my two-week bloggy absence - rest assured, everything's fine here, in fact great. My excuse? Um...total and complete obsession with the presidential election. I confess, I got bit hard by the political bug this cycle. I just love absorbing it, the strategies, the moves, the ins and outs, ups and downs. I have a limited amount of time each day I can allocate to being online and well, er, the election won over my blog. So not moderate, I know. But I'm back now, my guy won and since he seems to be moving on pretty well without my strategic advice, I'll let it go now. (In my next life I'll have to be a political operative, though, yeah...)

I wasn't all politics, all the time, however - I did actually feed my family. Even my extended family, when my cousin Peter, his wife Kristin, and their adorable twin daughters Erin and Emily came for a visit from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. My aunts Mary and Marge drove in too, and my cousin Kim, and we had a grand time last Saturday night catching up. Erin and Emily are two - yes, twin two-year olds, busy and clever and everywhere all at once, just as you might imagine. They both love to sing, especially Erin, and the stereo effect of twin toddler song is beyond cute. They regaled us with song and chat for more than a couple of hours at the dinner table, an impressive feat for two busy two-year olds. It was a complete blast.

I made beef burgundy, inspired by a lovely coq qu vin that John and I split at Salut Bar Americain last week (I believe it's their Monday night chicken special - I recommend it very highly). Great do-ahead dish, beef burgundy, although lengthy to prepare - split it into two days of prep and you'll be sitting pretty for your next dinner party. We opened with a simple salad, with parsleyed potatoes alongside the beef, and my aunt Marge's apple crisp for dessert. Uff da that was a meal. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

John and I in fact hit Salut twice in three days, no lie. Somewhere between Politico and Pollster, we fit in a lovely lunch at Salut's bar - steak frites with a glass of burgundy. Romantic, delicious, just lovely all 'round. I've had a French thing ever since - beef burgundy on Saturday, followed by a simple cheese souffle on Monday night. So airy and pretty, souffle, and so easy too. Tres bien.

Moderate it: if I'm serving potatoes, I don't also serve bread, although I did bend that rule a bit and put croutons in the salad I served as a first course.

Do you plan your meals for the week? I sort of do - all things in moderation, you know, including being organized - but am always quite glad when I consistently pull it off. I have a couple of basic, pre-typed grocery lists on Word, organized by food category and store lay-out (I shop primarily at two different stores depending on what I need). They make getting organized much faster, definitely. I just highlight the items I need, scribble in the extras, and go. I'm definitely more purposeful in the fall and winter - no CSA veggie share to innovate around, for one. And less go-with-the-flow time as well - the busier and more scheduled things get, the more organized one needs to be, we all know that. And if you want to eat relatively quick, tasty meals...

...and healthy meals as well, then planning ahead is the way to go. Let's face it, we've all bought random fruits and vegetables only to have them shrivel and weep (literally!) from neglect. I eat my daily 5-9 (servings of fruits and veggies) most consistently when I plan to eat them. Sure I keep lettuce and spinach on hand for quick salads. Always have onions, carrots, and potatoes in the pantry. But perishables like broccoli, pea pods, mushrooms, artichokes et al come with a plan, man, so they get eaten by me (and not the bacteria in the trash).

I love the concept of cooking on Sunday to carry me through part of the week, although I don't really pull it off - do you? While I obviously love to dig in and do some serious cooking, most days our meals are pretty simple, kid-friendly fare - lean protein, fruit/vegetables, grain (preferably whole grain; I love whole grain anything - the rest of the fam, not so much). Shrimp sauteed with garlic and broccoli, rice. Grilled steak, egg noodles, pea pods. Grilled chicken, peppers, onions, tortillas. Even last night, when it was just John and me, it was just sauteed vegetables, simmered with some clam juice and wine, with a piece of fish thrown on top to steam, over whole-wheat couscous (which takes 5 minutes - literally 5 minutes - to prepare). Thirty minutes in all from chopping block to stomach, done. Make some extra, eat the leftovers for lunch the next day, and there, you ate your veggies.

Good job!

Moderate it: I don't know about you, but I eat better - in every way - when I plan meals and shop ahead. We eat out less, I eat more fresh foods, I cook healthier fare, I even eat healthier snacks when I know what I'm doing ahead of time. Basically, no down-side, because even while it takes a bit of effort up front to figure out what to make and put a list together, you save lots of time and energy come meal-time, totally worth it.

Well, it was all downhill from there... I lost last week to a nasty cold and cough, but I'm back in fighting form this week. Whew. Despite feeling under the weather I enjoyed a couple of good meals, at week's end, starting on Friday night with Debbie and Stu The Wine Genius Williams and Rudy Maxa and Ana Scofield. Debbie set us up at Tim McKee's (La Belle Vie, Solera) new venture, Barrio, a tequila bar serving delicious Latin American (emphasis on Mexican) tapas. And delicious tequila! Hey, without a doubt Barrio is loud and crowded, more bar than restaurant (per the name), but it was a blast to scope out something new and as you might have gleaned from past posts, I am a sucker for south-of-the-border fare, BIG time. I scarfed down two crispy-spicy potato-chorizo tacos, shrimps grilled on skewers of sugar cane, and tasted scallop ceviche, guacamole, tequila-cured salmon (seriously good), and tender crab empanadas. Everything was delicious.

In typical fashion, I paid very little attention to where we were going ahead of time (Team Napa is always fun!) and had already planned and shopped for Saturday's dinner to celebrate my stepmom Susanna being in town. My menu? Uh, Latin American tapas. Well, not exactly, but pretty close. So for the second night in a row we dug into guacamole, spicy shrimps, carnitas rolled in corn tortillas with pickled onions, spicy pinto beans, rice, and grilled green peppers and onions. I even put together a cold, creamy tres leches cake, dangerously good.

After being couped up in the house all last week, I'm chomping at the bit - fresh fall air, here I come. After pretty heavy fare over the weekend, I'm feeling weighed down - sauteed halibut with aromatic vegetables, here I come.

Happy Birthday David! Happy Birthday Jen! And oh, Happy Anniversary John and Stephanie!

Moderate it: give it away. I've said it before, and it is a good trick - when leftovers loom large, offer takeaways for your guests. And at the tapas bar? Order lightly, since in my experience the table orders significantly more food at tapas-style restaurants than entrees at a traditional restaurant. Little bites of this and that, usually pretty rich fare, add up FAST. And oh, if the restaurant doesn't have valet parking - and Barrio does not - wear much more comfortable shoes than I did... blisters, baby, ouch.

Out and about, despite my stupid-Madison cold (cough, cough) and pouring rain. Lunch today at YUM! Bakery with Polly, soooo tasty. Chicken soup for the throat and the soul. With a couple of matzo balls to boot, as well as a split of coconut cake and a cup of hot tea. Oooh, all so YUMmy and good...

And tonight, to Cave Vin with John. Warm and cozy and candlelit, with perfectly executed brasserie fare. I opened with butternut squash soup, garnished with pieces of roasted parsnip; John opted for French onion soup. For my main I tucked into lovely roasted chicken, served with pan juices, roasted asparagus, and the friggin' killerest pommes frites on the planet - skinny, searing hot, just-crisp, and showered with salt and crushed garlic. Right. On. Baby. John had crusty-rosy pork tenderloin with some fabulously glazy-glace reduction that I was way too obsessed with my pommes frites to even taste. Sorry. We split a hearty Chateauneuf du Pape (go for the good stuff, half-priced on Monday nights) and rolled out happy and full.

Not a bad way to start the week. Unless it's all down-hill from here...?

Moderate it: I really wanted the butternut squash ravioli, with sage butter - I've had it in past years, in the fall, and it's always fantastic. However...very rich. So I chose the roast chicken with frites (!!!) instead, so I could snag a few without feeling like I'd gone completely over-the-top. All good.

On Wisconsin! Or, not so much, since I've been back for a week already, and the Badgers are 0-3 in the Big Ten as of last night. Ouch. But no matter, the real reason for last weekend's trip was to get together with my long-time friends Cami and Michelle, and the three of us had a BLAST. Beautiful weather, lots of walking, drinks on the Terrace, Saturday morning Farmer's Market, dinner at Kabul, beer at the KK, and a real-deal Badger tailgate party (grilled brats with all the fixin's!) more than made up for a sorry football game. We had low expectations for the game anyhow - the fabulous Wisconsin Marching Band had been suspended from playing last weekend. Boooooooo! Camp Randall without the band? Pfffft, nothin'. Oh, the student section managed a few raunchy cheers on their own, but the pom squad had no drums to shake it to, half-time was completely silent, and at the end of the game, everyone just...left. No 5th quarter = no fun.

As is typical for me, a few nights of less than adequate sleep (and more than adequate beer) means getting sick. I knew I'd blown it by Sunday night - sore throat, raspy voice, here we go. I did my best to fight it off this week, but here I sit, coughing and sniffling, damn those Badgers! (But totally worth it!)

I even rallied to put on a bit of a feast Thursday night as we loosely celebrated Yom Kippur. John doesn't fast, and I'm not Jewish, but no matter - we invited Jewthran Suz and her family, and Stacey, Cooper, and Bowen as well, and had a lovely meal in honor of the most important of Jewish holidays. I made matzo ball soup with very rich chicken broth, beef brisket with gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, and challah. Suz made a caramel apple pie and a pumpkin pie for dessert, both to die for. It was a school night, plus we had little Coop, so we ate early (and heartily, uff), and toddled off to bed by 10:00. L'chaim!

This weekend, keeping things pretty low key. Tortilla soup for dinner last night - its spicy garlicky-ness cleared the sinuses quite nicely. Wish I had some of that matzo ball soup for today, oooh, but no, it's all gone. Sniff. I still have a spot of delicious, beefy gravy left from Thursday's meal, however; I'll have to innovate around that so it doesn't go to waste. Perhaps something a la stroganoff - whisk in a bit of sour cream, serve over sauteed steak and mushrooms, I can picture it. Yeah, I can picture it quite clearly, in fact. I'm off to the store...

Ah, the parties are over. In the last week, we've entertained almost 100 people (30 on Tuesday, 70 on Saturday), and I have to say, it all went off without a hitch. Whew! And both were really...FUN, which is the point of course. Reconnected with old friends, met a lot of new ones, ate good food, drank good wine, and in preparation, really got our house in order. Feeling good. Next big one: Thanksgiving, woo hoo!

I luckily didn't have to prepare food for 70, since Saturday's party format - parent party - had folks bring either an appetizer or dessert. You know what that means - WAY more food than everyone can eat, but lots of fun tasties to try! I did make a few things, to get the party rolling, including gougere (cheese pastry puffs), a platter of cold sliced beef tenderloin surrounded by couscous, and a plate of toasts topped with ricotta and roasted tomatoes (I'm into them lately, what can I say?). I was even able to take leftover ricotta and tomatoes, puree them together, and make a quick-n-lovely pasta for dinner last night. That's about as far I was willing to go with 1) prep, or 2) clean-up, no surprise there.

Today, back to reality. Few things to put away, but not much (thank you John and Nathan, my official clean-up crew; thank you also to my extremely polite guests, who tossed almost every plate and napkin and deposited every bit of glassware in the kitchen - if that's Minnesota Nice, I'll take it). The pool gets put to winter-sleep this week, so it's time to think about putting away patio and porch furniture. The lights and lanterns have come down. Flower and herb pots will soon be emptied (I've still got a few tomatoes coming in, although they are the obviously the very, very last). Yes, the parties are really over. Sniff.

Guess I'll just have to cheer myself by...going out for dinner with Kim & Suz! To celebrate Kim's birthday - Happy Birthday Maven of Mischief! Look out, True Thai, here we come!

Moderate it: there's nothing like hosting a huge party to get a good workout. I'm not kidding! I hauled around four cases of wine, 100 bottles of water, 80 lbs. of ice (up and downstairs a couple of times), furniture, trays of glassware (I rented wine glasses), not to mention all the groceries and trash. I felt it in my lower back, for sure!

Hey man (my favorite Cooper greeting). Craziness out there these days, I won't pretend I'm not glued to the web (radio, TV) like everyone else. It's a wild ride, and more than a bit unsettling - perfect times for making a little dinner (waaaay cheaper than eating out, for one, and healthier and more comforting to boot). As I've mentioned, I've been in entertaining overdrive, what with Tuesday's party and another (big one) this coming Saturday. But since Thursday is CSA veggie share day, and I've been running on empty for the last several days, I decided ahead of time an uber-nutritious, vegeful dinner would hit the spot.

I didn't pick up my veggies until 4:30 or so, but since it was just John & me for din, I knew I could improvise. I opened up the box and found - a pint of cherry tomatoes. Yay! I just happened to have a spot of crusty bread as well (leftover from Tuesday night), and Parm in the fridge, so garlicky cherry tomato & bread gratin they became. Oooh, that dish is sick it's so good - and it's crazy-easy as well. It's all about good tomatoes, so make it when you can source the real deal (garden, farmer's market, CSA share - whatever works).

While I could eat just tomato gratin for din, I knew John would be left wanting, so I also roasted the broccoli, included as well in my box of veggie treasures, and made - don't die of shock - another frittata, this time with veggie-share spinach and leeks. Easy. Nutritious. Cheap. Delicious. All good.

(Unlike last night, when I made french onion soup for dinner. Oh it tasted yummy - to John and me. The kids? They didn't hate it, but one ate only the broth and bread - no cheese, no onions - the other ate only the cheese. If we had a third who ate only onions, they could all have shared a bowl. Right.)

To come full circle, here's a cheer-up pic of the lovely, creamy bouquet of roses I bought at Whole Foods on Monday. So pretty, roses, even the virtual kind. G'night!

Moderate it: it's nice to have a meatless dinner a couple of times a week. Cheap too. Give 'er a go, I'll bet you won't miss it one bit.

Had to snap a pic today of one of my favorite appetizers. Crusty bread, topped with a smear of hand-dipped ricotta cheese from Whole Foods (the stuff should be illegal, it's that good) and roasted tomatoes (which I didn't make myself, although they're easy enough; these I also picked up at Whole Foods, in the produce section, and they are particularly delicious, roasted in olive oil with garlic and herbs). I might have had some for breakfast this morning. Maybe. (Or, try this gorgeous recipe from our friends Kris & Harry, they of the beautifully Foodie dinner a few weeks back - tomatoes roasted with a bit of honey, atop scrumptious home-made ricotta cheese, finished with a drizzle of honey-balsamic. Beyond good. Recipe posted in comments, below.)

I don't usually have all these goodies on hand, but had purchased a round of tasties in prep for tonight's Susie Silpada Sales party, here at the hacienda. Girls, girls, girls, with snacks and wine and jewelry to boot. I put together a big platter of said tomatoes, as well as roasted peppers, carrots, and onions; salami; cornichon pickles; black olives; and rouille. Also set out a frittata cut into small squares, as well as chips and guacamole. With Kim as my Bar Beyotch (she is the fiercest bartender I've ever seen), Kathie and her sis Lisa doing party prep, and Suz jeweling her thing, we were all good. Even in pouring sheets of rain! Thanks ladies, for turning out and making it a great night!

Moderate it: a frittata is a terrific light, simple dinner, filling and tasty to boot. Without the crust and cream of quiche, but definitely with the perks of delicious fillings, nothing makes a better short-on-time dinner. And, good party food as well.

Wow, what a gorgeous week, huh? Lurve this time of year, despite every sunny, warm day depressingly feeling like the last. Ugh. Well, there will be plenty of days to suffer actual melancholy of the chill - a day as hot, in fact sticky, as today is not one of them.

Nathan and I opened the day by cheering Stacey's kickass finish of the "Iron Girl" duathlon (run-bike-run) at Normandale Lake in Bloomington. Go Stacey go! Cooper was there too, to cheer on his mommy, as well as eat crackers, quack like an Aflac (race sponsor) duck, and run wild like the two-year old he is. Coop!

Stacey earned herself whatever the heck she wanted for dinner, and she chose...Wagner's Drive-Inn in St. Louis Park. A fine choice, in fact a classic, heartily seconded by myself and Nathan (even though we ran in exactly zero races today). She, we, and Cooper tucked into juicy homemade burgers, skin-on skinny fries, crispy onions rings, and creamy-thick chocolate malts, uff. I feel like I have lead in my stomach. I do have lead in my stomach. Tasty lead. Burger lead. Deeelicious.

This week, holy moly, party week my friends. A Susie Silpada Sales party on Tuesday night and the 7th grade parent party on Saturday. Hey, nothing like a party (or two) to kick one's butt into gear and wrap up numerous nagging house projects. It's always been my strategy (pure self-motivation runs thin in my veins). Works like a charm...

Moderate it: I watched someone else workout and then ate a burger. I got nothin', I'm sorry.

Ahhhh, it's good to be home, as usual. We had a great time yesterday, hanging with Jon & Amy Brown, showing them all around the Hamptons, sitting on Georgica Beach, wrapping up with a romantic dinner (for their anniversary!) at The American Hotel in Sag Harbor. Man did I laugh yesterday, seriously, my stomach was aching. Hard to beat hanging out with hilarious people in a gorgeous spot. And oh, throw in some killer eats to boot. Right on!

Today, smooth trip home, minimal head-bobbing as I slept on the plane (thanks to a window seat), no wait for our bags because suddenly no one checks luggage (per-bag fees, ouch), home before rush hour. All good.

Except what to do for dinner? Obviously no groceries, and truly no motivation to shop, I dug in the freezer and discovered...Trader Joe's puff pastry. I glanced at the still-lovely tomatoes on my counter and thought...must use. I poked around in the fridge and found...fresh goat cheese. OK, with some herbs from the deck, and a drizzle of olive oil, we had the ingredients for a pretty sa-weet tomato tart, so...that's what we had. Twenty minutes later, voila, good stuff, especially alongside some softly scrambled eggs.

And now, we are goners. I'm not even half unpacked and I just don't care. As long as I can wash my face and brush my teeth, climb into some clean pajamas and find my bed, I'm all set. Good sleeping weather here in Minnesota, cool and dry - crank those windows open and have yourselves a good night. Baby.

Moderate it: man, we had an interesting - and perfectly gross - lunch at LaGuardia airport today. We arrived hungry, opted for the Burger King just past security in the Northwest terminal, scoped out the calorie counts posted next to each item (welcome to NY!), and sat down at a dirty table to eat bad food. Instant moderation, thank you very much. Blech.

Despite persistent clouds and rain (boo), we've been able to spend a nice amount of time outside. On Friday, John and I fit in a stroll through lovely Sag Harbor, stopping for focaccia sandwiches at one of our favorite little cafes, Espresso. You only order one of these babies for two or more people - they're huge, half a loaf of their famous focaccia, split wide and stuffed with all manner of homemade, scrumptious fillings. We kept it simple with turkey, fresh mozzarella, arugula, and onions, topped with their signature vinaigrette, and it was delicious.

My in-laws John & Dot arrived later Friday afternoon and treated us to dinner at the Old Stove Pub. Set way back from the road, the Pub is in an old farmhouse, cozy, very casual, and perfectly candlelit for a rainy September's eve. Steaks are their specialty, so steaks we had - The Broadway, baby, a sizzling slab of ribeye, dabbed with herb butter and served steakhouse-style with platters of sides to share. Their version of spinach is sauteed with lots of garlic (I actually could have had just that for din, so yummy) and the potatoes are cut skin-on, fried, and showered with fresh herbs and coarse salt. The Johns somehow finished with "cold fudge" sundaes for dessert; I couldn't do it, totally ran out of steam. But for them, steak and ice cream, NICE!

Yesterday John and I took a quiet bike ride through the village of East Hampton - leafy and serene despite the overcast sky. We did some serious house-gawking, I mean damn; major bonus to be up on bikes, you know, the better to spy over those pesky fences and hedges.

We spent the afternoon with John's bro Tom (and pup Spice!), checking out his new digs in Bridgehampton and putting together a lunch of tasty leftovers. Despite the sunless sky, we hit the beach for naps, chat, and reading. After showers, and cocktails here at the house, we five had an amazing dinner at 1770 House in East Hampton. Tucked into another charming old house-turned-inn (not so uncommon in a town first settled in 1648), we settled into a corner table for some serious eats. I opened with a chilled puree of sweet corn soup, geniusly garnished with a hot, crispy piece of pork belly, and just about swooned. Oink friggin oink, yum. Pretty much full at that point, I dug anyhow into my second course, a crispy-rosy duck breast, sliced and fanned prettily over a pile of pillowy, homemade spaetzle, drizzled with a rich duck-wine-fig sauce to pull it all together. I finished with a piece of cheese and a glass of muscat. Uff. Dah. My bed felt goooood after that meal.

Today, we're awaiting the arrival of our Minnesota-friends Jon & Amy Brown, out 'round these parts to celebrate their anniversary. Our original plan was to arrange some sort of dinner on the beach, as the sun set, but that's looking highly unlikely given the weather. Backup plan - The American Hotel in Sag Harbor, uber-romantic and anniversary worthy. It's not the beach, but is much easier on the hair, and as you know, that's OK by me.

Moderate it: alright, we're eating out every night, which is never a formula for moderation. The best I can do is really focus on when I feel even slightly full...and then push what's left of my food off on the men at the table. Seriously, nothing gets unnecessary food out of the way faster. Thank goodness for men.

The Hamptons, at least from my (very limited) perspective, is not about parties, people, or palaces. It's about the landscape - so lush, so stunning, so not-Minnesota, it takes one's breath away. I don't know if it's the pretty girls or the fancy cars that the trees get off on, but whatever it is, they grow here like no other place I've seen. Huge, tiny, wild, manicured, airy, dense, flowering, spare, grand, sweet, sweeping, charming...the variety and contrast keep you looking and looking, trying to take it all in. Even the downtown retail areas are lush and leafy. Butt all that verdancy up against wide stretches of white sand and crashing ocean, bathe it all in the famously super-natural golden hue (the light here is as unique and lovely as the trees, but that's another breathy rave...), and you start to understand the appeal of the place, traffic and ostentation and all. It's just plain gorgeous.

Something about those pretty girls and fancy cars makes for lovely vegetation of the edible sort as well. Of course there's the corn that I've already nattered on about, incredible stuff. And hopefully it's not too late to score peaches, oooh, especially the squashed little donut version, sweet and cute to boot. I'll drag John to a stand later today and report on the bounty.

Although I don't think I'm doing any cooking out here - a shame on one hand (given the produce and fish options), but kinda cool on the other because we're usually out here with the kids, and John's brother's kids, and big groups of friends, so we only cook and eat in. (No complaints! The eating in around here is amazing, especially when John's dad is cooking...veal a la danoise and Viennese shrimp toast? Pahlease - The. Kill.) This time it's just us, and John's parents Dot & John, and it's past peak season craziness, so we're going to hit a few restaurants...can't wait.

In fact, last night it was just John and me, so we slipped into famed Della Famina, in "downtown" East Hampton, for a lovely din. We both scarfed down a salad that I'm going to crave for days, I can tell - hot, crispy shrimps atop a mound of shredded lettuce and vegetables, tossed in a fiery dressing. You know me, any dish that gets that hot, cool, creamy, spicy, salty, sweet thing going just slays me. Delicious.

It's cool and cloudy here, not pool weather, but no matter. Good for walking, and driving around (no traffic in September, yay!), and reading good books. And blogging a bit, too, so stay tuned...

Moderate it: I blew it last night, skipped one of the easiest rules of moderation - when ordering a salad in a restaurant, ask them to either put the dressing on the side or to dress the salad very lightly. The salad last night was delicious, but not one bit light, and would have been just as tasty with less dressing.

I had quite the soup day yesterday, two delicious versions. First was tomato soup at Yum! Bakery, where I met my mom for a sunny lunch. Very homemade, with a hint of cream, and a garlicky kick to finish, it made for a lovely lunch. (No charming, retro Yum! confections to tell of, sorry, just a delicious glass of lightly sweetened iced tea.)

John showed up at home unexpectedly early so we jumped at the chance for another dinner-and-a-movie gig. Twice in one week, NICE! This time we saw Tell No One, a fun French-romantic-thriller playing at the Edina Theater. Afterward, we strutted out the door, around the corner, and into Salut Bar Americain (j'aime matching up din to a movie's setting, it just flows...). Salut is always a fun spot, perfect for a light-ish, late-ish snack. After a glass of the house red, a bowl of French onion soup (second delicious soup of the day), and a split of salad Lyonnaise (frisee, poached egg, lardons, more yum), we got home in time for me to mess around with my new camera (yays!) and get to bed not too terribly late.

Not bad for a Monday, not bad at all...

Good start to Tuesday as well, a walk around sparkling Lake of the Isles and a cuppa joe with Suz. Later this evening, with a spot of leftover tenderloin steak, I'm making Jacques Pepin's Instant Beef Tenderloin Stew. Clever dish, a sort of deconstructed - lighter - version of stew, easy to put together, and delicious to boot.

Moderate it: real-deal, slow-cooked beef stew is one of my favorite mid-winter dishes. This "instant" version is delicious in a different way - lighter, faster to pull together, appropriate for all seasons.

The Minneapolis Farmer's Market is a fun place. It's not as fabulous as say, San Francisco's - what is? - but I still get a rush walking around, especially on Saturdays when it's crowded, buying beautiful veggies and thinking about all the ways I can use them. Today I picked up heirloom cherry tomatoes, for the garlicky tomato & bread gratin I made for dinner tonight (we had our neighbors the Hatzungs over for a chilly swim and warm din). I also bought (more) green beans, as well as raspberries and fingerling potatoes. We ate the green beans tonight, and the raspberries (atop a lemon picnic cake), but the potatoes I'll save for tomorrow or Monday.

Although, hmmmm, I'm not going to be making din tomorrow night since Kim, Suz, and I are heading to True Thai for our every-few-weeks dinner out. Well, luckily potatoes taste good even several days after being picked... Especially these little gems, I bought them once before from the same vendor and was pretty blown away by how delicious they were. I'm thinking a little lemon-butter and salt will do them nicely. Can't wait.

Hey, look at that, I've been on Facebook for one full year! Thank you, Maud, for introducing another (very fun!) timesuck into my life! I think I've most enjoyed seeing everyone's pics, especially of their kids, especially of friends from high school and college that I don't get to physically see often enough. It's like an everyday reunion/Christmas card - nice! If (realistically, when) you join up, I suggest you become a fan of moderate epicurean (and painters staceyemeyer and maudbryt) to boot.

Sleep tight!

Moderate it: baking half of a cake is a nice way to not have a bunch of sweet leftovers hanging around - Whole Foods cake mixes make just one 9-inch layer. Works nicely with the lemon picnic cake recipe.

Since last week was way too crazy, I made Susie a birthday lunch today, one week late, but better than never. I love cooking for my girls - they'll eat anything so I can make all the things I love that others in the fam are too picky to eat. Like scallops. And polenta. Yep, polenta - with the weather taking a big turn for the cooler, comfort-y type foods are suddenly hitting the spot. And because fresh sweet corn is still tasty, I stirred in a cup or so right as the polenta finished cooking. Sweet and crisp, a nice addition.

Since polenta just begs for something a bit saucy, I served it up to Suz. Ha! Actually, I simmered CSA veggie share green beans and tossed them with a fresh tomato-garlic sauce (chopped fresh tomato, garlic, and olive oil sauteed/simmered together for a few minutes). Alongside scallops saltimbocca (I used Nueske's bacon instead of pancetta because, well, that's what I had; yes, I realize I'm beating the saltimbocca theme to death lately but what can I say? When it rocks, it rocks...), the polenta was in good company and we took our plates - and perhaps a glass of wine - out onto the deck for a nice summer-into-fall, girly-birthday luncheon. All good.

Until...I pulled a warm lemon souffle from the oven, and then it was all great. Sheesh. Topped with dollops of softly whipped cream, washed down with sips of strong, hot coffee...oh yeah. I don't know, I can't think of a chocolate dessert I love more than a warm fruit souffle. (Recipe for lemon souffle posted in comments, below.)

As Suz said, "Like I really want to go home and make dinner now," I'm thinking that John and I might end up wandering out later for sustenance. After checking out Vicky Cristina Barcelona, that is, which I've been looking forward to seeing.

Hope you're starting off your weekend in a nice way too! Happy Birthday Saucy Suz!

Later: three quick raves - one, for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which is sexy/funny/fabulous, I recommend it completely. Two, for Restaurant Alma, where we went afterward for a lovely dinner - no shock there. Sweet corn flan and rigatoni with fennel sausage for me, yum. Three, a quick bop into the Cedar Cultural Center, to catch the end of the Punch Brothers' performance. I admit, I went grudgingly (John's taste in music does not er, match mine, that's what seven years' difference in age will do to a couple), but I was pretty blown away by... I'm not sure... Classical alternative bluegrass? The mandolin/lead singer's voice was angelic, kind of scary perfect. The technical talent of the violin, guitar, mandolin, banjo, and string bass players was incredible. So...a damn good day, all in all. Def a keeper. G'night!

Moderate it: I've said this before about savory souffles and the same holds true for the sweet versions - they're actually quite simple to make, and not overly rich/caloric, but they impress and are, not surprisingly, absolutely delicious. I declare, the world needs more souffles.

Happy Labor Day! Flew by, of course, as all holiday weekends do, but this one was particularly fun because my brother David was here. That meant extra hang time with Stacey and Cooper too, and as a group we had a grand old time. We pretty much just chatted, cooked, ate, and hung by the pool. Yeah, that pretty much covers it.

The foodie highlights:

• I made a tomato-goat cheese tart for a late din Friday night. Nothing more than a short-pastry crust, smeared with minced garlic, filled with tomato slices, a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and dabs of soft goat cheese. I baked until golden brown and soft, served alongside a salad, in the dark on the deck, with a glass of crisp white, and it was nice.
• Scrambling for a brunch idea Saturday morning, I innovated crepes filled with softly scrambled eggs and a "sauce" of cherry tomatoes sauteed with onions and fresh herbs. With a few slices of Nueske's Canadian bacon on the side, we were well-fortified for a day of...lying around in the sun, listening to music, reading books, and chatting. Hey, what can I say?
• Saturday night we dined deliciously at 20.21. As usual, the star was the lobster risotto with crispy spinach, I'd say one of Minneapolis' top five restaurant dishes. It hits all the notes, baby - creamy, spicy, sweet, salty, chewy, crunchy. And it's gorgeous. And delicious. Oh yeah, I already said that.
• Last night I made not just shrimp saltimbocca, but scallops saltimbocca as well, due to a bit of a screw up in purchasing frozen shrimp at Whole Foods. A tasty mistake, turns out, since Stacey, David, and I all love scallops (while John and the kids opted for shrimp). With grilled bread, topped with ricotta cheese and grilled tomatoes, we had ourselves a summer feast.
• And the wrap up today, more tomato goodness, this time in the form of post-exercise BLTs at Stacey's. Garden-ripe tomatoes and Nueske's bacon. 'Nough said.

David (pictured at right with Etta, a couple of weeks ago in Wyoming) left around 5 pm this evening, unforch totally missing the chicken I roasted tonight, whole on the grill (with my Weber poultry roaster), this time with a Mexican spin - garlic, lime, and ancho chili powder. We ate the crispity slices in warm corn tortillas alongside potatoes roasted with jalapenos, onions, and green pepper.

The End to a lovely Labor Day weekend.

Moderate it: yeah, a pretty big food weekend. I biked in the wind, walked in the heat, and most surely didn't come close to working off that lobster risotto. Good thing the weekend is done and we're back to "normal" tomorrow. Uff.

Hey there. Ready for back-to-school? I think we are, it's certainly a process, but one that's near completion. I'm ready for Labor Day weekend, which is looking to be three sunny, gorgeous days here in Minnesota. NICE!

My brother David arrives tonight to hang with us and Stace and Cooper-Doo over the weekend. We'll definitely be relaxing at the pool and cooking up some tasties, maybe fitting in a bike ride, hitting the State Fair, perhaps a movie...who knows? No matter what, relaxing...

Which this week wasn't, therefore the need for unspeed over the weekend. Nathan and I hit the fair on Tuesday - perfect day, cool-yet-sunny, not a big crowd, we pretty much cruised around and plucked the experiences we pleased. Pronto Pups, roasted corn, skytram, giant slide, newborn animals (so cute), and a successful run on the Midway. Great fun, I love the fair. You know, about once about every 4 years...

Last night I enjoyed dinner with Kathie Radcliffe and Mary Pappas, my former office-mates who I don't see nearly enough anymore, boo.

Speaking of good friends...Happy Birthday Susie Silpada Sunshine! I hope Suz sang Happy Birthday to herself, she's got the prettiest voice of anyone I know (except for her daughter, Vivian; OK, duh, I'm sure Viv sang Happy Birthday to her mom and of course Suz loved it). I reminded Suz this morning that she shares a birthday with John McCain, but that she has much nicer... jowls.

Rest in Peace Steve Foley.

Moderate it: my son was a bit horrified by my moderation tactics at the fair - take a couple of bites of something you love, toss the rest, move on to the next fave.

Good morning, sunshine! It's hard not to be up-and-at-em on a morning like this, sunny and crisp, wow. Debbie and Stu the Wine Genius have probably already had breakfast at Lucia's and climbed a mountain, despite hosting us (and Ana Scofield and Rudy Maxa) for a fabulous din last night. That's just how they are - full of energy and fun. It's always a great hang with the Williams, and last night was no exception.

John and I walked into their lovely kitchen to find Stu smearing triple-creme brie onto toasted baguette slices - topped with slices of ripe pear, a few leaves of fresh rosemary, and washed down with sips of Veuve Cliquot Champagne, we were off to a good start...ha! After Rudy and Ana arrived, we moved the party outside, with views of Debbie's gorgeous garden and a platter of melon and prosciutto. Debbie and Stu's beyond-cute pups joined as well - flirty little Margo the long-haired dachsund, and graceful Turley, the tomato-loving dalmation. We sampled a couple of delicious Chardonnays (I...wrote nothing down, and although I did snap a few photos of bottles, it's hard to glean the specifics from them, my apologies) and heartily dug into a platter of the same grilled shrimps wrapped in pancetta and sage that Stu made on The Fourth (I modified the recipe for smaller shrimps, but really, you must try it the way it's supposed to be made; I'll get the recipe from Stu).

Thanks to absolutely perfect weather, we hung outside for a nice amount of time, trying to catch up with Rudy & Ana's travels and hard work filming and producing Rudy's PBS travel series, Rudy Maxa's World. They have been crazy-busy and of course the summer has flown by, so it was great to steal them before they're off again.

We did finally move inside for the main course - Pinot Noir, er, I mean grilled duck breasts, alongside wild rice and tomato salad. I joke because as I sat down at the dining room table, I heard Stu say from the kitchen, "I chose duck because it goes with Pinot Noir." I declare that as Stu's official tagline, it's so perfect. (The Pinot Noir, by the way, was incredible. As was the duck!)

After a slice of berry tart from delicious Rustica Bakery, followed by lots of chat, we finally let Debbie and Stu go to bed! I just about fell over when I saw that it was midnight - BIG oops, since Stacey was hanging with Nathan and I had no intention of keeping her up so late. We rushed home, Stacey was off into the night (er, morning, sorry again, Pooh), and John and I sunk into bed, stuffed and happy after another beautiful night at the Williams'. I don't know how I got lucky enough to have such amazing cooks and entertainers as friends - I mean seriously, both Friday and Saturday nights? Sheesh. Needless to say, I am very grateful.

I don't know about you, but I am more than fortified to enjoy this golden, juicy Sunday!

Moderate it: I'm very lucky that both Friday and Saturday's dinners were fresh and healthy, lightly prepared, chock full o'veggies, and oh yes - deeeeeelicious!

I'm not a Foodie, not really. Oh, I love to cook and eat (and talk about it!), of course, but I'm way too lazy to be a real Foodie, the kind that strives for the very highest quality and most unique of food experiences. I'm much more likely to let someone else crawl the city for the perfect taco and then go check out the goods, ole! If I'm generous I could call myself a foodie (lower case). But in all honesty, I think I'm really just a Foodie Parasite, you know? Sigh. I guess I'm OK with that, if only because it's such a comfortably delicious spot to be in. As in major YUM. In fact...

...I played the happy Foodie Parasite at dinner last night, at the home of John's secretary Kris and her husband Harry. Now they are Foodies - and Harry's a wine genius to boot, so not only was the food incredible but the wine pairings were lovely. Sigh. But let me back up a bit.

First of all, they have a beautifully laid out garden of flowers and vegetables. Many delicious varieties of tomatoes as well as peppers, herbs, beets, asparagus, peas, beans. All the good stuff, much of which went into the spectacular meal they prepared for us. And I'm not exaggerating - it was spectacular. At it's core, a tomato feast, really, tomatoes three different ways. To open, a sliced-tomato salad, simple and clean with basil for garnish. Green, yellow, and red beauties, perfectly vine-ripened and bursting with flavor. Ah, but that was only the beginning. Thin strips of lightly roasted tomatoes followed, seasoned with garlic and herbs, jam-like in consistency and smeared on slabs of toast topped with...homemade ricotta cheese. Oh, that cheese, I'm going to get the recipe, it was divine (Kris said it's simple; just whole milk and buttermilk). But wait! Before taking a bite, a light drizzle of honey-balsamic glaze, just a few drops...now you can eat. Sweet, creamy-crunchy, tomato heaven, yeah.

And then. After a delicious bowl of chilled asparagus vichyssoise, more glorious tomatoes, this time little red-and-gold cherry jewels, tossed with garlic, herbs, olive oil, and bread, then baked into a sublime gratin. It's a Jacques Pepin recipe so I was able to find it online, check it out here. If you're lucky enough to possess garden-ripe cherry tomatoes, then you are set for dinner tonight. It's basically a summer-perfect dish (I was even fantasizing a bit this morning about how good it would be for breakfast, alongside over-easy eggs...mmm...).

We didn't just have tomatoes, of course, although I would have been perfectly happy to, if you can't tell. Yes, Harry also grilled a gorgeous piece of salmon and skewers of chicken, mushrooms, and zucchini, glazed until crusty-crunchy-browned. Rarrr...

For dessert, cheeses and biscotti, as well as...home-roasted coffee. Yes, they roast their own coffee beans, in their garage, using a popcorn stir-pan - they said it's super-easy, and since the results are of course incredible, I may be giving it a try. They served it with nut milk - yes, they make their own of that too, almond milk or whatever stirs their fancy. It was all so delicious and fresh I was inspired to kick my butt into all sorts of gears - grow more tomatoes, try my hand at cheese-making, as well as coffee roasting. (Check back for recipes... OK, recipes for garlicky tomato & bread gratin and homemade ricotta cheese are now posted in comments, below.)

A true foodie-feast my friends, fresh and healthy, beautifully prepared, I enjoyed it so thoroughly. What a nice start to the weekend, huh? And I'm not done, oh no. More Foodie Parasite fun tonight at Debbie & Stu the Wine Genuis', with Rudy and Ana as well - Team Napa! Let's hear it for Foodie friends! Woo hoo!

Moderate it: Kris and Harry eat a mostly vegan diet, although very kindly cooked meat and fish and served dairy for us. Given the quantity and quality of produce they grow, they could be my vegan chefs anytime!

What's this you see? The sorry banquet (wedding, fundraiser, church dinner, you name it) side-dish we've all had a million times, green beans with carrots? Yep, it is indeed - and it was deeeelicious. The green beans and carrots both arrived in my CSA veggie share today, so I simmered until just tender and tossed with a little butter and minced chives. So fresh, wow, the way they're supposed to taste. How...fun!

No, I didn't serve a baked chicken breast alongside (I can only go so far with the banquet kitsch), but instead made these pretty little tomato souffles. I found the recipe online (recipezaar), adapted from Earl Peyroux's book Gourmet Cooking. Peyroux had a long-running cooking show on PBS (although I've never seen it) and the book looks actually pretty fantastic. Funny the things you discover when you google "tomato souffle" (as you can tell, I'm still reaching, looking for inspiration, more than a bit tired of my usual fish & veggies). The souffles are so simple - hollowed-out garden-ripe tomatoes, filled with a tomato-egg filling (I added a bit of goat cheese as well, but I think any cheese would be nice), baked until puffed and browned. Next time I'll add a bit more cheese and salt. As constructed, less than 200 cals/tomato, nice.

Speaking of veggies, I had a great idea tonight, in the vein of one of my (unfulfilled) fantasies...living close enough to everything I love to bike and walk to-and-from. Restaurants, grocery shopping, oh heck even a farmer's market (it's the France/Italy fantasy, where one markets with a basket, buying fresh bread, bottle of wine, cheeses, and fresh veggies on the way home from work... Photo, also a fantasy, I neither bike in the city without a helmet, nor with a fedora, hahaha...)

Since I can do exactly none of those things from where I live, I decided to bike to pick up my CSA veggie share, just a few blocks away. All went well on the way there (although it was a tad tricky getting on my high-bar bike with jeans on, strreeetch), with my last-week's empty box flattened and tucked under my arm. I uber-ungracefully hopped off my bike, deposited the flattened box, and picked up my new box, chock-full of veggies. It was...really heavy! WAY too heavy, in fact, to handle with one arm on my way home, although I gave it my best shot (getting up on my bike, lifting the box, and quickly realizing there was no-way, no-how to balance it with one arm). So I had to put the box back, bike home, and drive back to pick the thing up. Talk about un-fantasy! If anyone watched the whole event, you're very welcome for the entertainment (my attempted box balancing on my neighbor's driveway must have been...completely dorksville at best).

And hey, I have to mention because it's a deliciously good deal, we enjoyed a glass of - get this - Virgin Vines Chardonnay before dinner. Virgin as in Richard Branson, yep, we learned of it from John's parents (you can buy it easily in NYC). As far as we know, it's not available locally, but it sells online for less than $13.00/bottle. And it's tasty, I'm rarely a fan of domestic Chardonnays (I just do not dig the oaky Chardonnay thing) but this is completely simple and clean and crisp, very food friendly.

And Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Moderate it: souffles are really so easy, and pretty, and not heavy at all. And oh, they're delicious to boot! With an average of one egg and a couple of tablespoons of grated cheese per person, they seem so much more decadent than they really are. Enjoy!

I am in some sort of cooking slump lately, I have to admit. I'm not sure why - just feeling less, I don't know, inspired. Is it the hot weather? Overly-busy days? I'm sure part of it is that I feel like I should just be grilling food, instead of heating up the oven (and the whole kitchen), and that limits my options a bit (as happy as I am to grill pretty much anything). I guess this just happens, where inspiration wanes, and you reach a little further for something interesting...

...like tonight, I faced a fridge full of CSA share veggies, a boatload of eggs, and decided to make crepes filled with a simple saute of diced carrots, onions, green pepper, garlic, and mushrooms. With a tablespoon each of creme fraiche and minced fresh herbs* to finish, it really did make a light, lovely din. With a French white, on the deck, very nice. And - thank goodness - Not. Our. Usual! Don't forget about crepes, they're easy, delicious, and mix things up nicely.

* My poor fresh herbs, in pots on my deck. The parsley and dill are completely defoliated by black swallow-tail caterpillars, and the basil is being sucked dry from the inside out by hideous, bronze-y Japanese beetles. Luckily the oregano, rosemary, summer savory, and chives (as well as the tomatoes and chilis) are just fine - plenty of flavor to carry us through the season - but the buggy (and batty!) infestation is a bit disgusting, sigh.

And oh, I DID get the scanned pic of our dinner at Morton's with Andrew & Rishia Zimmern, and Carol & Aaron Mack, to celebrate Aaron's birthday. We were very...BLUE that evening! Fun night, great to see everyone, and once again, Happy Birthday Aaron.

Moderate it: thank goodness that just a little creme fraiche - one of the most delicious creations on Earth - goes a long way. Just a teaspoon to finish scrambled eggs, or a dab in a pan of sauteed veggies (above), or a smidge with fresh berries, makes a dish over-the-top delicious.

Gosh, what a lovely weekend, huh? I can't remember a summer with nicer weather than we've had this year - warm, dry, I'm really trying to savor every minute of it. Man, when it so chooses, Minnesota quite RAWKS. Nice.

I opened the rawkness with an uncharacteristic bit of baking, motivated by my lovely CSA blueberries. Blueberry muffins, in fact, basically crazy-good. Yeah, warm muffins, plenty of French Roast (decaf, I'm a wuss), nice start to the day.

Post-muffin(s), it was high time for a lovely, sweaty walk, today 'round Lake of the Isles, through Lowry Hill, along Mount Curve, and through Kenwood Park. Just...gorgeous. (Mos def topped my buggy, humid walk through the usually lovely Clifton French Regional Park on Wednesday, OMG, I was flat-out attacked by gnats and biting flies, OUCH!)

My stinky self stopped off at Whole Foods on the way home and ran into Debbie and Stu The Wine Genius - they were picking up dinner ingredients after paddle-boarding on Lake Calhoun. (Dinner at their house next weekend, by the way, with Rudy & Ana, yays!)

But just a family dinner here at the hacienda tonight, so I picked up a roasting chicken, loads of naan (flat bread, the kids go crazy for it), and baba ganoush (the Whole Foods brand is particularly tasty). I roasted the chicken on the grill with my faboo Weber roaster, grilled the naan (spritzed with a bit of olive oil spray and sprinkled with a pinch of Kosher salt), grilled CSA veggie share zucchini (sliced thin, same treatment as the naan), and tossed together a quick salad of tomatoes (from my own pots! Finally!), cukes, onions, artichoke hearts, and roasted red pepper. In other words - a Mediterranean feast, more than I had even planned. I didn't quite know where to start when I faced my plate - so many favorites, so little time!

Heck, not even bat guano could distract me from digging in (we have a couple of bats who've taken up residence in our oft-closed shade umbrellas - seriously gross when you pop the umbrella and guano showers down on the table. Uh, yuck. But that's what shopvacs are for - that and disinfectant kitchen sprays, shiver).

Post-Whole Foods, pre-cooking dinner, I snuck in a little time at the pool with John and Nathan. Hot sun, cool water, a spooky book (Ghostwalk, by Rebecca Stott), all good. And what is it about a pre-dinner shower on a hot day? So decadent. Best if warm-not-hot, fragrant (Molton Brown Energising Seamoss, smells like the ocean), quick, no fuss. Followed by a sun dress, swipe of Chanel Glossimer, spritz of Annik Goutal Les Nuits d'Hadrien, ready to cook! Little al fresco dining, blogging, call it a day...

G'night!

Moderate it: I think olive oil spray is one of the greatest inventions ever. I used it to grease the muffin tins for this morning's blueberry muffins and to oil the naan, chicken, and sliced zucchini before salting and roasting them this evening. Low-calorie, tasty, effective - virtually indispensable.

Hey, this is my 575th moderate epicurean post! Crazow! Who knew how much I'd be willing to write when I don't have to? I'll have to keep that in mind, if I ever go back to school, since I apparently just need to write about what I'm eating/cooking, and voila, assignment complete. I realize this speaks (potentially unflattering) volumes about my food-exhibitionist self, but there (here) it is...x 575. Wow.

Gosh, now I'm feeling a little pressure to post a landmark uber-yummy-healthy recipe. But...all I had for dinner was a couple of Ortega corn tostada shells topped with black bean spread and a bit of shredded Monterey Jack cheese, toasted until crisp-and-melty. Not one bit home-made or fresh, sorry. (Although I had some delicious locally grown blueberries for dessert - from my CSA veggie share - kapow the flavor!) OK then. A rather unimpressive and uninteresting, albeit tasty, 575th entry.

Pressure = fffffft.

Moderate it: I tend to use corn tostadas instead of tortilla chips - at 40 cals/each, you get a measured crunch without crazy cals - very good in tortilla soup and for taco-y, nacho-y type things. And yes, I'm still clearly craving Mexican food...

Thursday Afternoon Lunch/Coffee with Suz? Not quite the same ring as Friday Morning Coffee with Suz, but hey, I haven't seen Suz for way too long, so she snuck over this afternoon for BLTs (with goooood tomatoes and Nueske's bacon), chocolate chip cookies, coffee, and chat. John even put in an appearance, post-basketball for a quick shower, and said as he walked in and greeted us, "My wife must be very happy right now." Aww, he knows my minxes mean the world to me, sniff. Good husband.

Speaking of, John and I are off in a bit for din at Masa - that damn enchilada craving, planted this past weekend in Wyoming, has not left me. Gotta scratch the itch, what can I say? Empanadas from El Meson would have done me too. Ah, next time, always good to have options.

Update: Masa was fabulous! Given my passion (obsession?) for Mexican food, I don't know why we don't eat there more often. Delicious, fresh food, beautifully prepared and plated, in a lovely setting to boot. They seem to have turned the lights down inside, BIG improvement (it used to be overly-bright and annoyingly cafeteria-like). We had two small jalapenos rellenos, crispy, spicy, creamy. Also the fat little chicken enchilada pictured above, topped with pickled jalapenos and a drizzle of crema. And my fave dish, carnitas tacos, three little soft, warm corn tortillas filled with tender-crisped pork. Altogether an explosion of textures and flavors, especially when garnished with their smoky chipotle salsa, tart tomatillo salsa, and creamy guacamole. Ole, baby, all the way.

Moderate it: it's tough with Mexican food, it is. I love it all. At least Masa is about quality, not quantity - the waiter brings a moderate portion of tortilla chips (thank goodness, because have you noticed how easy it is to mindlessly eat chips with salsa? Dangerous...), and in fact all the dishes are served in reasonable portions (no one-pound burritos smothered in a half-pound of cheese here, whew). The guacamole is served with crudite (raw cauliflower, cukes, and radishes), a delicious combination. John and I split everything, skipped dessert, and still walked out, well, pretty stuffed. It could have been worse?

Hey man (that's what two-year old Cooper always says, totally cracks me up), how's it going? We snuck away to Wyoming for a bit, to see my dad & Susanna's new home, as well as attend the wedding of Kirby & Misty Taylor. The Taylors - my stepmom Susanna's family - know how to throw a good party, so I predicted a great time...

...and it was! We arrived in Sheridan (WY) via Billings (MT), Friday afternoon. After settling in and spiffing up a bit, it was time for cocktails and dinner on the lawn at Dad & Susanna's new digs. The theme was Mexican - margaritas and homemade enchiladas, guacamole, salsa, and wedding cakes, absolutely delicious. Stacey, Cooper, and Levi Sizzle were already there, as well as my cousin Kim - they drove out mid-week last week. Etta was on our flight, David flew into Sheridan, and Susanna's nieces Marett & Farley (and Farley's husband Stuart) arrived from New York and Chicago. It has been searing, smokin' hot all summer in Sheridan, but we lucked out with a bit of cloud cover and a lovely cool breeze to carry us through the evening. After din, a group of us headed over to the Last Chance Bar for a beer and a bit of gossip. The wedding party bowed out early (so disciplined!) and so we did too.

Saturday was the wedding, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, the same church where Dad & Susanna were married, er, a few years back. When I was 12 years old. Man, time flies, ouch. Anyhoo, the lovely bride wore a sleeveless ivory silk shantung sheath, with a flared hemline and ivory silk flowers at the neckline. Turns out, the dress was Susanna's sister Margie's debutante dress, hanging in the closet at the Taylor Ranch all these years just waiting for a bride small enough to wear it. Misty was the girl and oh was the dress perfect on her. She added a sheer veil edged in lace and was gorgeous.

The reception was on the lawn at the Big Horn Equestrian Center. Big BIG polo scene in Big Horn, we watched on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons (Saturday the professionals; Sunday the Taylor boys, playing for and winning the Montaylor Cup). Once again searing hot (much relieved by icy cold beer, ahhhh) until the sun dropped behind the Big Horn mountains and then...a lovely, twinkly evening. Dinner (prime rib of beef, but of course, the Taylors are cattle ranchers) and dancing and sore feet ensued, the typical wedding combo.

And now we're home, where everything seems obscenely lush and...flat. Kinda humid (I and my hair LOVE the West's dry air, love, love, love it). But it's nice to be home anyhow, always the best part of taking trips, actually. Home = Good! Although I am craving Mexican food, hmmm, sure could go for some of those leftover enchiladas right about now, rarrr...

But no. Instead, I'll set my appetite aside and send my Best Wishes to Misty and Kirby for a long and happy life together. L'chaim!

Moderate it: I find that the old advice about cutting calories at cocktail parties - sip a glass of water between cocktails - works quite nicely. So does standing far away from the nibbles (unless you're at a Taylor function, where someone always politely comes around with the tasties, damn their perfect manners).

I biked around Cedar Lake this morning and am sad to report...it smelled like autumn. Lots of fallen leaves, sigh. But hey, swarms of gnats (I discovered several stuck to the sweat on my face when I got home, pretty; I was afraid to check my teeth) keepin' it summer-real. Thank goodness.

So, I did experiment with making summer squash (as a substitute for zucchini) bread. I baked both a sweet and savory version. The sweet version is fantastic, moist and cinnamon-y, delicious with coffee; the savory was just meh. (Recipe posted for sweet version in comments, below; use summer squash or zucchini, they're deliciously interchangeable).

Moderate it: many short bread and muffin recipes call for way too much sugar. It's worth experimenting with cutting it back a bit - I find it hurts neither texture nor flavor, while reducing the calorie/carb profile at least slightly. Hey, every little bit helps.

Due to receiving one of the most enormous cabbages I've ever seen in this week's CSA veggie share (albeit not quite as large as the one in the pic), I made an unlikely summer soup yesterday - er, cabbage soup. Studded with potatoes, with a hint of bacon-smokiness, served with a sprinkle of gruyere cheese, pretty hearty fare (even though light on the cals, and somewhat diuretic, thank you, cabbage). But somehow it all worked, and tasted great, and I have leftovers for days. And days. More days than I'll want to eat cabbage soup. In August. Good thing it freezes so well. I can far too easily imagine some chilly damp day, only short months away, where I'll be damn glad for a bowl of cabbage soup to warm my bones.

Back to summer: I shockingly didn't eat anything tomato yesterday - I'm currently all-tomato, all-the-time. 'Tis the season, yesss! Tonight, I'm thinking a simple herb frittata, with some lovely chopped garden tomatoes thrown in, finished with a dab of creme fraiche, alongside a few more of those lovely fingerling (thumbling, toeling) potatoes. Pass the salt. (Because cabbage soup is diuretic - see how that works?)

What to do with my second giant summer squash, also in this week's veggie share? There were two - one I skewered and grilled with bell peppers and red onions (below). This second one, hmmm... If you, like I, are faced with an abundance of summer squash, check out this link to more recipes than I could ever think of. The fried squash puffs look delicious for a party - squash fritters, as it were. Anything frittered is fine by me, and potentially moderate if enjoyed in the low single digits. I've even been tempted in summers past to experiment with squash bread - basically golden-hued zucchini bread - but in the end haven't given it a go. I could even imagine going savory with the concept, a cocktail muffin, a la the spinach-feta cocktail muffins I made up last summer (pictured). I may mess around a bit, stay tuned...

Moderate it: cabbage and summer squash have very few calories. Sauteed in a bit of olive oil, and finished with fresh herbs, salt, and pepper, and even a squeeze of fresh lemon, both make delicious, nutritious sides (or mains).

I keep forgetting to post a recipe for one of my favorite soups - pappa al pomodoro, or tomato bread soup. I had a delicious bowl in Tuscany, very thick, topped with a generous drizzle of olive oil. Last weekend a craving popped up, as cravings tend to do, and I went digging for my recipe. Which I couldn't find. But that's what Google is for, and in no time I had a pot simmering away. It's a great way to use lots of garden-fresh tomatoes, but short of possessing those, it's terrific made with canned tomatoes too. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

So, Bizarre Foods night at the Twins' game last night was a blast (other than the Twins lost). We didn't eat anything more unusual than kettle corn (Nathan loves it, for good reason, it's freshly popped and pretty incredible, recipe here) and a hot dog. No complaints! We sat by lots of nice people (Andrew Z, his adorable son Noah, Noah's adorable friend Sophie, Sophie's very nice dad, and Andrew's very nice in-laws) and one crazy dude (not part of the Bizarre Foods group, although he was certainly bizarre). Noah and Sophie went home the color of Smurfs, thanks to blue (!) snow cones. Nathan and I went home slightly blue ourselves, thanks to playing with Noah and Sophie. All in all, a Smurfy-fun night!

Moderate it: tomato bread soup can be over-the-top rich, or not rich at all, depending upon how much olive oil you use. I started with a little less than the recipe called for, and decided it was completely delicious without more drizzled on top. You decide.

Mom and I headed over to the Farmer's Market early this morning and cashed in on lots of tasties. First off, a grilled brat for breakfast, smothered in sauteed peppers and onions, topped with kraut, relish, and mustard. With a beer, I would have been ready for a Badger football game! But no, instead we grabbed coffee and roamed the veggie stands, scoring sweet corn (first of the season for me), tomatoes, green beans, raspberries, potatoes, and radishes. We took a pass on the giant iced cinnamon rolls, but oh boy did they look and smell temptingly, stickily scrumptious.

I came home, pooled my treasure with booty from Thursday's CSA veggie share, and out of the bounty made myself one helluva vegetarian feast for lunch. I roasted myself an ear of corn - rarrr - then sauteed tofu with thin slices of garlic, onions, and jalapeno. I tossed pieces of summer squash, red onion, and red bell pepper with a bit of olive oil, salt, and minced fresh herbs, then skewered it all and grilled until soft and charred. And then, The Kill, I boiled a few fingerling potatoes (tiny ones, more like thumblings, or even toelings, ha) and ate them tossed with a smidge of butter and sprinkle of Kosher salt. They were creamy and just a bit sweet (I personally don't like uber-sweet new potatoes), very potato-y, and absolutely delicious. I will most certainly be looking for those babies again.

Tonight we're heading to the Twins game for Bizarre Foods night at the Dome. Rumor has it AZ is offering Bizarre Foods-inspired tasties...I'll fill you in on any adventurous details later.

Enjoy your Sunny Saturday!

Moderate it: it's pretty hard to go wrong with food from the Farmer's Market - fresh, just-picked vegetables and fruits and locally-raised meats. Real food. Good food. Real, good-for-you food. I dig it.

Dang I had a great time tonight (uh, technically last night) at Lurcat with Kim & Suz. We spiffed and spritzed up a bit and sashayed into the sparkly bar, ready for gazpacho with anchovy toasts, mini-burgers, and frites with naughty Bearnaise for dipping. Went down like buttah (Bearnaise!), baby, sooo good. Especially the brrrgrrrs, on home-made potato rolls, slathered in shallot-red wine butter, rarrr (recipe here).

Right in the middle of our cacklefest, in walked Kevin & Kristi Hykes, great to see them (haven't since the Badger Blast last fall)! No community blocks of cheese to bite into, and no podcast mic (Kevin checked under the bun of a burger, ha), just quick hellos before they joined another couple for din.

About half-way through our evening, we somehow wandered into the topic of Eddie Murphy's rendition (are there others?) of Boogie in Your Butt. Real classy, that song, and yet...20 years after first hearing it (Cami played it for me in our freshman dorm at UW), it's still absolutely slaying me. I mean, we cried we were laughing so hard, just like the first time I heard it. Take a hot cup of Brim, fill it to the rim... Luckily, upon hopping in my car for the drive home, we were able to pull it up on my iPod. A little Lake of the Isles' scenery, little Boogie in Your Butt, and poof, we were home, just like that. Awww, it always goes too fast when I'm out with my minxes. Thanks for a great night - and deeelicious food, uff I'm stuffed - miladies!

You know, I did remember to pick up my veggie share, but I have yet to go through it. Too tired, more tomorrow on what little gems await me...

Moderate it: I figure when I dine a la Kim & Suz, I burn so many calories laughing that I don't worry so much about what I've ordered. Therefore the frites with Bearnaise. Therefore the chocolate profiteroles with salted caramel ice cream. Urgh. Hahahahaha (that's the sound of me, you know, burning more calories)...

L'chaim! Yep, I get dinner out with my minxes tonight, woo hoo! We're hitting up Bar Lurcat this time, for gazpacho, mini-burgers, and those irresistible, cursed frites. I even have straight hair (for now) since I got my hair cut today - a blow out in this weather is only worth it if someone else does it. Since that happens, oh, about every 8 weeks, it's feeling a bit rare and swingy. Whee! Hey, what can I say, I measure my days in dewpoint, always have. It's a frizz thing, not a curl thing (I can handle curl, curl is cute; frizz is, uh, I'll let you fill in the alliterative blank).

Anyhow. Just quick meals lately, last night nothing more than good ol' spaghetti with meat sauce for Wild Wednesday, although I did grill thin slices of zucchini to go alongside. Way easy - brush both sides of slices with olive oil, sprinkle with a bit of salt, let sit a few minutes to soften, then grill away. Eat hot off the grill, as is or showered with fresh herbs, maybe even a grate of Parm. Mmmm...

Oh, speaking of zucchini, I can't forget to pick up my La Finca CSA veggies on my way to pick up the girls (Thursday is pick-up day, just a few blocks down). Maybe some tomatoes this week! I received two huge, juicy beauties as a little gift this week, OMG, so good. Nathan and I had BLTs for breakfast today, loving every juicy-crispy-salty-smoky bite. We agreed that whoever made up that blessed sandwich was a genius. So simple - which means the ingredients have to be top notch. Nueske's bacon, a garden-ripe tomato, crisp lettuce, good toasted bread, and real mayo. Oh man, pretty hard to beat.

Moderate it: BLTs don't have to be unhealthy - on whole-grain bread, easy on the mayo, two slices of well-drained bacon, heavy on garden-ripe tomato. Fabulous.

Hoooey it's a hot one, wowzers. Did we swim today? Hell no, we ran errands - hot errands - like crazy people, but what can you do? Let's just say that I'm very grateful for light-colored car seats. I told Nathan that my dad used to drive - waaaay back in the day, circa early-1970-something - a kelly green, two-door Ford Torino (yep, a precursor to the Starsky & Hutch car; pic is an approximation), with black vinyl seats and no AC. That was the hottest, stickiest car I've ever ridden in, ouch.

The sunshine is nice, though, right? It really feels like summer, now that it's almost August, yeah. We had post-baseball-tourney Boy Soup on Saturday, loud and fun. Nathan's Famous hot dogs on the grill and a giant bowl of potato chips - that's about as easy as entertaining gets!

Hopefully the heat gets my tomatoes going 'cuz they are behind, way behind. I'm ready for fresh tomatoes! Mom and I are heading to the Farmer's Market on Saturday, maybe we'll score some beauties there. I'm getting ready for good sweet corn too. No East Hampton version for me this year, sniff - I'll be missing the Annual Levy Sweet Corn Spectacle. The all-white varieties (Silver Queen-esque, but apparently not really Silver Queen) grown in the Hamptons are insanely delicious and different than what we enjoy here in Minnesota. We might enjoy our yellower, chewier versions with ribs and burgers instead of crabs and lobsters, but it's all good, all good.

Moderate it: although my son keeps trying to insist otherwise, I consider corn a grain (starch, carbohydrate), not a vegetable, so enjoy, you know, in moderation. Unless you're a Levy, then hells bells, go for it!

Geez (OMG, John just said the word 'geez' right while I typed that - perhaps coincidence, or as he cracked, because we're 'yoked', ha), I really need to pull out my damn cam when we socialize. Argh! Last night we had dinner at Morton's, with Mack's and Zimmern's, to celebrate Aaron's birthday. No pic, unless Aaron scans and sends me the picture the maitre d' took (hint). Lovely salads, steaks, scallops, crab cakes, broccoli, and hash browns floated by and disappeared with nary a record of their greatness, other than the shadow of flavor on our palates, swallow. Or perhaps a bit of creamed spinach in our teeth. Shame, really, I'm all about the pic. All I can say is good times, as always, good times.

Tonight, we hosted Sheri and Darin Lynch for dinner - man did we luck out not only with cool guests but with the cool breeze that blew through around 5:00 pm, whoooo, effectively removing all humidity from the sultry air and thus creating a damn-near perfect July's eve. NICE. We noshed pre-dinner on grilled bread, grilled tomatoes and red onions, and paper-thin slices of Molinari dry salami. For din - al fresco, baby, due to that fabulous breeze - a beef tenderloin roast, smeared with garlic and herbs, then seared on the grill, served alongside crushed new potatoes topped with creme fraiche, mushrooms sauteed with garlic and lemon, and sugar snap peas sauteed in a bit of butter. With warm fruit crisp (peach, plum, blueberry) for dessert, we polished off a pretty sweet evening of summer chat, if I do say so myself - again, good times, good times. (And again, no pic, argh! However, recipe for fruit crisp posted in comments, below.)

Tomorrow, a little baseball, a splash of swimming, dinner a la Chinois, and Batman, baby. Bat. Man. Yep, once again - good times, good times. Happy Summer!

Moderate it: as I mentioned below, I knew I was making steak for din tonight, so I passed on the steak at Morton's on Thursday. Grilled scallops wrapped in bacon fit the bill nicely. The broccoli with Bearnaise was delicious. But I did not get away before the hash browns - or even tastier, and just as rich, the potatoes Lyonnaise - arrived. Ah well.

If you were waiting for me to post recipes for gazpacho or shrimp saltimbocca, both recipes are up now. My apologies for the lame (let's face it, lazy) delay!

Last night I whipped out my new Weber Poultry Roaster again, man I love that thing. Absolutely no mess or fuss - I opened the grill to baste the bird (chicken) a few times, but that's about it - et voila, a browned, crunchy little lovely, with some nice drippings at the base to turn into a bit of sauce. With sauteed broccoli and sugar snap peas alongside (I've got a thing for snap peas this summer, briefly sauteed in a bit of olive oil or butter until just heated through, so sweet and crunchy), it made a tasty din for the Wild Wednesday crowd.

Tonight, as I mentioned, dinner at Morton's with Zim's and Mack's to celebrate Aaron's birthday. Happy Birthday Aaron! My plan is to bow out early and head over to catch the end of Nathan's baseball game - he's had a little post-season tourney pop up. See you there, I'll be the one in a dress gnawing a side of beef in the stands. Rarrr...

Moderate it: oh Lord, Morton's is the most immoderate place on the planet. I man, I eat meat, grunt. It's all delicious, but even the potatoes are gargantuan - where do they find those things? I don't know what I'm ordering, probably a fishy appetizer of sorts - I'm making beef tenderloin on the grill tomorrow night, so no steak, sniff. I do love their steamed veggies, with just a teeny bit of Bearnaise (The Kill). Hopefully right about when those naughty hash browned potatoes appear, I'll be driving to Nathan's game...

Over this past Date Weekend, great biking (a correctly tuned bike! I'm so into it!) with John and a couple of lovely meals out to boot. As I mentioned below, we kicked off a long weekend together last Thursday, in the uber-romantic bar at Cafe Lurcat (twinkly chandeliers everywhere, pic from their website). No frites this trip - moderation, natch - but when I head back next Thursday, with my minxes, we're all over the frites, oh yeah. Can't wait!

Then Sunday night, pre-Neil Diamond (we were invited by John's client Frank and his wife Christine, total blast, thank you), we had a fabulous dinner at Heartland - yes, the Heartland of our Bizarre Foods Minnesota adventure - in St. Paul. I love everything about Heartland, from Chef Lenny Russo to the Mission-style dining room to the genius wine list to the beautiful, fresh, locally-sourced food. I had two appetizers - the house-smoked bacon-pinto bean soup with tomato concassee and fresh summer herbs, followed by the fried zucchini blossoms with fava bean mousse filling, kohlrabi-dill slaw, and cucumber-walnut vinaigrette. I just...lurved them both, especially the squash blossoms, so crispy and salty, perfectly set off by the tangy slaw and vinaigrette. I kept saying, this is my kind of dish, oh yeah, I love this food, it's all about the contrast, this is so me...blah, blah, blah. John was too polite to not listen, but I realize (um, in retrospect) that I was perhaps a bit monotonous. What can I say? I completely enjoyed every bite, and yes, it was my kind of dish. (No pic, damn it, forgot my camera. Needless to say, pretty, pretty.)

This week I'm mining the riches of my LaFinca veggie share - salad greens, broccoli (to be stir-fried with sugar snap peas tomorrow night), kohlrabi (great sliced thin for dipping in yummy things like olive tapenade), strawberries (which I finished, en pint, after a long bike ride last Friday, OMG good), and kale, which I'll saute for lunch tomorrow for myself and my sis, Stacey. I'm pretty much obsessed with kale sauteed with garlic and finished with lots of salt and lemon or balsamic. Crave-worthy, even in the summer.

This Thursday night, a beefy din at Morton's with the Mack's and Zimmern's, coming right up (pedal, pedal, pedal). Friday, dinner here with the Lynch's (more pedaling or walking or something, Lord help my butt). Not sure how we're fitting in a little post-season baseball tourney as well, but you know, somehow it all works. Nathan's playing tennis, golf, basketball, and now baseball again for a few days, but it's summer in Minnesota, baby, we'll take whatever comes our way. How pretty has this weather been? Ah, these are the days to remember in the depths of winter, as rockin' as those fried squash blossoms filled with fava puree... Just beautiful (the pic is of lovely Maud arranging flowers in Sag Harbor, summer in a pic, as it were). Splash!

Moderate it: it's worth filling out restaurant meals with vegetables. Certainly no guarantee for low calories - restaurants use fat liberally to make veggies tasty, even the steamed, roasted, and grilled versions - but better than starch dishes (like, oh, frites, mashed potatoes, risotto, pasta, bread stuffings), which were practically invented to absorb an insane amount of oil and cream.

Ooh, I have a cool new grill tool to rave about - the Weber Poultry Roaster! A sort of Chicko for the grill, or as Weber bills it, "beer-can chicken without the beer can." It has a little depression to fill with liquid - I innovated and poured in a bit of white wine with several cloves of smashed garlic - and the same phallic shape as the Chicko for spearing the chicken upright, always fun. The results? Completely delicious - crisp skin (salty, well, cuz I oiled and salted it), tender meat, even some nice pan juices (skimmed of oil, probably only a couple of tablespoons afterward, but very concentrated and tasty). All in all a success, especially with potatoes grilled in foil (with dill and scallions), finished with a dab of creme fraiche (scraped them from the foil into a bowl, stirred in a dab of creme fraiche), and LaFinca peapods sauteed quickly in a bit of butter. Uber-Frenchy, uber-yum, especially on the deck with a little tune-age, yeah.

What else? A dee-licious and romantic din at Cafe Lurcat last night, just John et moi, in the pretty bar. We shared the mini-burgers (to die), shrimp fritters, roasted cauliflower, apple salad, and gazpacho with anchovy crouton (again, to die).

Today, I worked off the excess by hauling my bike into Erik's Bike Shop (on an upside-down bike rack, no less, how embarrassing). I ride my bike every week or so, every time miserably uncomfortable and pretty much hating it. I finally brought it in to address the fact that my hands are painfully numbish after just an hour ride, plus I always feel like I'm sliding off the front of my seat. Well, hallelujah Erik's, my seat was too low, my handle bars were WAY too low, my seat was too big and tilted too far forward, and my tires were seriously under-inflated. The guy wryly said, well, we are making this quite a tall bike, but then again, you are not a short woman. Ha! No one else in the fam will be able to ride the thing (at least not if they want to touch the ground) - it even looks tall to me - but I got on that bad boy afterward and biked for an hour and a half today, happy as a clam. Do not underestimate the importance of a properly fitted bike - sheesh, what a difference.

Moderate it: it's tough at a spot like Cafe Lurcat, with arguably the best frites in the city. In the end, John and I chose between the burger and frites, and were happy with our choice (we were needing some protein in our order). We fleshed out the rest of our meal with veggies - gazpacho, cauliflower, and salad. Does a Bloody Mary count as veg? Who cares...damn goooood.

Wild Wednesday coming up! That means a visit from my nephew, Cooper Cuteness, yay! Cooper brightens our week, bigtime, especially since he says "n" for "l" at the beginning of words - that means he nuvs (loves) his new dog Nevi (Levi). Beyond cute. (Of course I haven't talked to him for a week, which means he could by now be saying "l" perfectly well. That's how it goes with a two-year old; one day you're Aunt Settie, the next you're a perfectly pronounced Ste-pha-nie, just nike that.)

Simple is the name of the food game on Wednesdays. Tonight the plan is steaks on the grill with a stir-fry of bokchoy, broccoli, and scallions (that's what remains of my veggie share; reload tomorrow) with a good amount of garlic, Thai curry paste, and chopped fresh basil for some interest and heat. (I'm all about the heat lately, outside and in my food. My aunt Mary got me addicted to the most unlikely-named spicy pickle this past weekend - Norwegian Dills, one of the Gedney State Fair versions. If you, like I, crave salty heat at about, oh, 4 pm, these are your pickle, crazy good.)

Hopefully I'll score some leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Monday's fried walleye became yesterday's fish taco - a little chopped cabbage and red onion, slice of avocado, in a small French Meadow sprouted grain tortilla. Delicious. Leftover steak makes a damn good taco as well, and is always good stir-fried with a few peppers, onions, and mushrooms, eaten warm over salad.

On an unrelated note, check out (and chuckle about) this article describing the calorie-shock New Yorkers are experiencing as chain restaurants implement a new law requiring they post menu item calorie counts right next to the prices. Ouch. Maybe it's because I'm a woman who gains weight by merely glancing at unhealthy foods (therefore this blog!), and probably more likely because I cook and therefore know what really goes into making items like muffins, scones, and platter-sized pieces of nut-encrusted fried meats (although I also maintain it doesn't take thinking very hard about it to realize they're loaded with calories), but none of the counts in the article particularly shocked me. I know how I feel after eating food like that (ill). See what you think - do Minnesotans need calorie counts on their menus? I have a sneaking suspicion that it's not the calorie counts alone that freak people out - it's being seen eating the burger that everyone can plainly see is more than 1,200 calories. If shame encourages people to make healthier choices - or skip the chain restaurants altogether and cook their own food - then it works for me? Hmmm...

Moderate it: a small piece of protein (beef, chicken, fish, pork, tofu, lamb, etc.) + lots of fresh veggies (salad, stir-fry, roasted, grilled, etc.) + small amount of grain (whole-grain bread, couscous, rice, corn, pasta, etc.) = healthy dinner in 30 minutes. Of course my kids eat small amounts of fresh veggies + lots of grain, despite my best efforts to encourage otherwise; I try to think about it as a palate-training process, not completed until adulthood... A vegolescence, as it were... Right.)

When we do beach in Minnesota, it's at a lake, of course. Or even better, it's on a lake, in a boat, with a cooler full of snacks & supplies, good tunes, and enough engine oomph to pull the water ski- and intertube-inclined of the group. Ahhh, warm sun, cool breeze, cold beer, beautiful views. That's summer, baby, and I'll take it.

Or more accurately, I took it, yesterday, at Green Lake with my aunt Mary & uncle Bruce. Nathan and I drove out to their lovely farm, near Kerkhoven, Saturday evening. I'm not usually one for the drive, but we took a new route (to avoid - big surprise - road construction) and given the recent rains and the angle of the late-afternoon sun, the scene was breathtaking. The effect was lush rolling hills covered with silver-y green fields literally sparkling in the breeze, I'm not kidding. I've never seen anything like it (and I've done a lot of driving west of Minneapolis). Less than 30 minutes into our drive I felt completely away and relaxed, ahhhh.

We arrived at The Farm in time for dinner, with my aunt Marge and uncle Jim joining us as well. I had picked up a few cheeses, acacia honey, dried fruit, and crostini at France 44 before we left, so we enjoyed that on the porch before our dinner: salad with peaches, greens, and almonds, followed by grilled steaks, farmer's market new potatoes, and grilled corn on the cob brushed with hoisin-orange butter (yum, recipe is here). Basically, the perfect summer dinner, followed by the perfect summer dessert surprise...DQ Dilly Bars! Man, I hadn't had a Dilly Bar in so long, it tasted great, just like when I was a kid. Nathan was thrilled; Marge and I scored free Dilly Bars (message on the stick, natch, under the ice cream; for the Willmar DQ, however, so I left mine with Mary!).

Yesterday morning we were up - lazily - for coffee, pancakes, berries, and sausage on the deck, over-looking the countryside, so beautiful. Mary made delicious sandwiches on fresh bread, Bruce loaded up the boat trailer, and we took off for Spicer, the put-in for Green Lake. After a quick stop to check out my cousin Michael and his wife Amanda's beautiful new home, by 1:30 pm we were cruising, eating sandwiches, and stopping to chat with my cousin Kim (she lives on Green Lake and came down to the dock to say hi). After a bit Nathan jumped in the lake and tried to get up on skis, then moved on to wake-riding on the tube. By 5:00 pm we were heading back to shore to grab dinner at Melvyn's - fried walleye for me, of course, most certainly not caught in Green Lake but completely of the lake anyhow (my Grandpa Meyer fished Green Lake almost exclusively).

And then we headed home...Mary & Bruce back to The Farm, Nathan and I back to the city. In a little more than 24 hours, back in our own beds.

So here we are. A little browner, a lot more rested, ready for the week. Thank you Green Lake! And of course, thank you Mary & Bruce! (I'm thinking more fried walleye for dinner, I'm needing more than one piece this summer; plus, as I like to do post-trip, I can stretch out the idyll for just a bit longer... With a crisp white, and a big veggie share salad, I should welcome myself - and John, who was in NYC for the weekend - home quite nicely.)

Moderate it: let's face it, walleye fans - with its light and flaky texture, walleye must be fried to achieve greatness. I prefer mine dredged in a bit of flour and fried in butter, the way my Grandma Meyer made it. The key to keeping the meal moderate is to serve fried walleye alongside something a bit tart and crisp - as in, a simple salad of greens, radishes, scallions, dressed lightly in a lemon/olive oil vinaigrette. Enjoy.)

Man, when it rains, it pours...literally and figuratively. Certainly with yesterday's storms, there was plenty of the literal wet stuff - much needed and quite welcome, actually. But the figurative type, not so much, at least not in the form of the fallen tree that crushed part of our fence (thankfully nowhere near the house) and a couple of plant beds. With hail damage from a few weeks ago (to both house and John's car), not to mention my own car breaking down, and a new, fun discovery today - chipmunks in our garage, trying to get into our trash and raising all sorts of chipmunk hell - I'm so ready for the storm to be o-ver. (So is our insurance adjuster!)

Luckily I had Michelle here last night to cheer me up. Michwheat! I love it when business brings friends and family to town - Bartley, Niko, Tom, Matthew, and now Michelle, yes! Nice to have an excuse to make dinner, open some wine, and have a good, long chat. The grilled salmon with couscous and grilled tomatoes/red onion worked quite nicely, especially with peach-blackberry pie - from Turtle Bread - for dessert. For an appetizer I sauteed wild mushrooms and finished them with lemon, fresh herbs, and creme fraiche. On top of slices of grilled bread, washed down with sips of prosecco, pretty damn tasty.

For the weekend, very low key. My LaFinca veggie share included bok choy, kale (yay!), scallions, lettuces, broccoli. And oh, how could I forget, perfect strawberries! So pretty, I'll save them for later this afternoon when I'm hungry for something sweet. Gosh, real strawberries, what a treat.

Moderate it: buying just a few slices of dessert is a nice way to enjoy a treat without leaving tempting leftovers lying around the house. No pie calling my name, just grilled salmon and whole-grain couscous - no problemo!

So, I mentioned below that on the 4th, Stu The Wine Genius made the most delicious shrimp appetizer - a saltimbocca of sorts, shrimps and fresh sage wrapped in pancetta and grilled. We devoured them. Enter a craving... When my car died on Monday, it cut out a grocery run that would have included a stop by Whole Foods for some wild-caught Key West shrimp. No! Luckily, John was able to stop on his way home, although I forgot to specify what size shrimp to pick up... Turns out he grabbed the smaller version, too small to individually wrap and grill, so I innovated last night and sauteed the pancetta and sage until crisp, sauteed the shrimp with lots of garlic and fresh lemon juice, and served the shrimp topped with the crispy pancetta and sage. Damn tasty if I do say so myself. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

As I also mentioned below, My Minxes and their girls came over on Tuesday to swim with Nathan and me. Man did we luck out with a stunning day, perhaps the best so far this summer. We had a super-simple lunch - grilled hot dogs, chips, and strawberries - but I also made a batch of gazpacho for us ladies. I adore cold, crunchy, spicy, salty gazpacho, it really hit the spot on a hot, sunny day. I dare say that Kim & Suz agreed. Thanks for a perfect day, girlfriends! (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

Tonight, my friend Michelle (she of Cancun in March and UW-Madison in 1987) will be here in the Minneapple on business from the Big Apple. Yay! I'm thinking grilled salmon over couscous with dill vinaigrette and pine nuts, inspired by the to-die-for version (pictured here) at The Post Ranch in Big Sur which I ordered for lunch two days in a row. (As I write this, I send up a little prayer for the town of Big Sur to escape the fires raging at its door, sigh.)

Moderate it: gazpacho is a delicious way to eat your veggies, and it's quick to make too (no cooking, just some chopping). Make it crunchy, or puree and sip from cups - either way (or a combo of both, that's how I make it), it's a delicious way to use up the abundance of tomatoes and cukes that are about to hit us at a garden, farmstand, or CSA veggie share near you. Can't wait!

Humid. Humid air makes humid armpits and humid hair (evil, frizz) and for me, a dangerously humid mood. I know, I know, I blather about the weather (and its effect on my mood, hair) almost more than I blather about food. What can I say? Perhaps it's the farmer in my blood, even if three generations removed...but my mood mos def bends with the breeze. (The pic is from John's parents' home in EH, which since it's beachy can generate humidity...almost like Minnesota. And so I ask - without ocean, why on God's humid earth does is get so friggin' humid here? Man, talk about pain with no gain, damn.)

Humid moods are not helped by car trouble. I was just plain lucky to make it home today as my car completely freaked out on my way back from a (humid, sweaty) walk - tomorrow morning it's being towed to the shop, sniff.

Oh look, it's now raining, just as I'm about to step onto the deck to grill a couple of trout fillets. The ones John had to pick up on his way home because...I don't have a car. Despite it's obvious wetness, I won't really complain about rain since we quite need it.

Back to the trout...I'll serve it alongside (drum roll), more new potato-green bean salad. Can you tell that I made quite a bit of it? Hey, waste not want not, even if the fam (and frankly, I) is (am/are) a bit tired of new potatoes + green beans. Tonight I'll dice the pieces a bit smaller and saute them in a small amount of olive oil until just-browned. Already seasoned with onion and fresh basil, they should make a tasty accompaniment to simply grilled fish. Nice? Yes. No complaints about trout, potatoes, and green beans for dinner, but of course.

OK, time to take my humid self to bed. Tomorrow, The Maven and Metal Mommy, aka My Minxes, with their mini-me daughters in tow, are coming to swim. It was either tomorrow or a day in August - the only two days this entire summer that worked for us all to get together! Luckily we were also able to sneak away for din last night, to Luci Ancora in St. Paul, just the three (er, maxi-me's) of us. With lovely food (polenta, pastas), and lots of time to chat, pool time tomorrow is just icing on a fabulous cake.

Even if I don't have a car (grumble). Sleep tight!

Moderate it: you know, I've tried every anti-humidity, straightening hair product on the market... None of them work completely, although a few help - Phytodefrisant, Kiehl's Heat-Protective, Silk-Straightening Cream, Graham Webb Stick Straight Gel. Apply one, two, or even all three (yep, I've done it) before grilling trout in the rain. Good luck.

Bonus! Not only is new potato-green bean salad tasty when you first serve it (which I just did for the 4th), but it makes a killer salad Nicoise the next day - toss fresh greens with a bit of vinaigrette, top with potatoes and green beans, add hard-cooked egg, olive-oil packed canned tuna, black olives (like Nicoise!), et voila. Good stuff.

And oh, speaking of delicious leftovers, I treated myself to chilaquiles for breakfast yesterday morning, made from the chips and creamy-spicy salsa Stace brought from Taco Morelos. I dipped about five chips in salsa so they were completely coated, laid them side-by-side to cover a small plate, then microwaved them until they were warmed through and softened. Topped with an over-easy egg to finish - oh Lord, deadly good stuff. (I get on these Mexican food kicks and have to wean myself, otherwise all I want to eat is guacamole and chilaquiles - this latest craving started with dinner at La Cucaracha with Chris Follett this past Thursday night...; pic is from Too Many Chefs.)

Today, the goal is moderating back to moderation. Yeah. Good thing my fridge is bustin' with tasty LaFinca veggies to make the transition pretty sweet - salad greens, bok choy, icicle radishes, scallions. With herbs from my pots outside, I'd say a big salad is in order for lunch. (Although I admit, I'm still thinking about those damn chilaquiles...)

Moderate it: hey, the party's over, but that's OK. Keep the good stuff (like new potato-green bean salad), toss the less good stuff (those tortilla chips are now GONE), and make something healthy AND delicious to get back on track.

Another blast of a 4th of July for the books. You know, I'm kinda deciding that the 4th is my favorite holiday - first of all it's a Shubert holiday, guaranteed fun. Plus the sunshine, hanging by the pool, grilled food, cold beer, and fireworks... I don't know, I think it's pulling neck-n-neck with Thanksgiving, previously my fave. Ooh, burgers vs. turkey, who will win?!

Sullivan Shubert, age 7, is definitely our 4th of July star with his fabulous quips. A few years back he had us all in stitches when upon seeing one of the super-sparkly fireworks he said, "Those would make Vivian (his sister) feel fancy!" Then tonight, he had us rolling again when he told Cooper (Stacey), who was seeing his first fireworks tonight, "They start big but end fast, like a good sneeze." Fabulous.

Cooper was his usual Superstar self as well. As I mentioned, he saw his first fireworks tonight and thanks to a pair of genius headphones to protect his little ears, was completely mesmerized. He just kept softly saying, "Cool."

Which is pretty much what I was saying too. I was positively beaming as we walked out onto the golf course, loaded up with bug spray, sweatshirts, chairs, blankets, snacks, and flashlights. With Debbie, Stu, Michelle, Suz, Coreman, Viv, Sully, John, Harry, Stace, and Coopster in tow, I had one of those great, peaceful moments of joy and gratitude. (You know, right before mock-artillery shells started exploding overhead. Right on!)

Make that grateful and full. Man did we feast, sheesh. We opened with tortilla chips and the most delicious, creamy salsa from Taco Morelos (Stace), alongside homemade guahhcamole (Debbie), as well as the veggies & dip (blanched asparagus & snap peas, raw endive leaves & icicle radishes) that I put together. And then...the most incredible appetizer, made by Stu - shrimps with sage leaves wrapped in pancetta and passed over the grill. Damn, we made obscenely short work of those babies snip, snap, gone. Then on to burgers, pork ribs, new potato & green bean salad, green salad with peppers, mint, cilantro, and almonds (Harry), and lovely wine (Stu). For dessert, chocolate cookie cake with fresh berries (Suz) and fireworks. Just...uff...perfect.

And now, my usual post-party conclusion - yep, it's time for bed! I'm full and wiped, craving cool sheets and a good night's sleep. Once again, my friends, Happy 4th.

Happy 4th of July! Ready for some fun in the sun? Or a quiet, relaxing day? I have to say, one of the best 4ths I've ever had was a few years back when John and I went on a long bike ride followed by a picnic of fried chicken, fresh cherries, cheeses, and white wine. The. Kill.

But of course I like a good party too (who me?), so today we're on for our Annual Super Duper Shubert Coopster 4th of July Celebration, having Shuberts and Stace & Coop (obv!), as well as Harry Cunliffe, Debbie & Stu The Wine Genius Williams, and Debbie's sister Michelle over to swim, dine a la potluck, and see fireworks. I'm grilling burgers & ribs, and making new potato & green bean salad and some simple veggies & dip. With tasty appetizers, salad, and dessert contributed by the group...KA-BLAM we're going to have a meal! Yeah, baby!

Moderate it: I'll personally make a lameass attempt to fill up on salads and veggies and enjoy the whole burger-rib-beer-chip-dessert thing in moderation. Hope you fare better in your moderation efforts than I'm about to! Enjoy your holiday!